Process of manufacturing bottle-closures.



J. ALBERTL PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING BOTTLE CLOSURES. APPLICATlON FILED JUNE 23. 1913. RENEWED APR. 19.1911.v

Patented July 24, 1917.

" avwawlio'a p a a new JOHN ALBERTI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'IO INTERNATIONAL CORK COMP,

OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING BOTTLE-GLOSURES.

L234l f.

Specification of Letters 2mm.

Patented July 2d, lLOll t,

Application filed June 23, 1913, Serial No. 775,353. Renewed April 19, 1917. Serial No. 163,310.

caps or closures.

. Closures of this type comprise usually V three parts, that is a metalllc cap or crown having a corrugated flange to be locked to the bottle neck, a sealing disk or packing of cork or the like, and a fusible, impervious cementing medium, for instance in the form of a disk, interposed between the'metallic cap and the sealing disk.

In manufacturing these crowns, the ocmenting material is fused and the assembled closure subjected to pressure before the cementing material sets or llflldGIlSfWhGI'B- by the said cementing material unites the sealing disk with the metallic cap. Usually, the three parts mentioned are first assembled and the closure, as a whole, then sub- 'ected to heating action to fuse the cementmg material, pressure being applled afterward. In other cases the caps contain only the cementing material when heat is applied to the same, the sealing disks being inserted 1' afterward.

Generally the cementing medium is composed of copal gum, resin and a waxy substance, or of copal gum and some other sultable material or materials. In order to properly fuse, the cementing'medium, the outer surface of the metallic cap is sub ected to heating action of at least- 300 Fahrenheit, the heat being conducted vby the cap to the cementing medium. It has been.

found that the extent of exposure heat to properly fuse the cementing medium is always ruinous to decorated caps inasmuch as it affects the paint used in decorating the same and otherwise defaces the caps. Even plain caps cannot well be heated to such extent, inasmuch as they are transported from one place to the other on the assembling and uniting machine at a speed which sometimes prevents the proper extent of exposure to heat which is required to fuse both faces of the cementing medium, the latter being usuallyin the form of a paper disk which has been soaked in or carried through a molten mixture of the substances abovementioned.

In practice, it has been found that, if a crowncork is exposed to moist heat, as for instance in pasteurizing bottled beer, etc, the union between the sealing disk and the metallic cap is affected to a, great extent, and in some cases, in fact, destroyed. 1

If too much of the fusiblecementing-medium is contained in a closure and the liquid contents of the bottle subjected to heat, the cementing medium exudes toward the working face of the sealing disk and drips into the liquid contents of the bottle, forming beads therein.

A further defect of the processes of manufacture heretofore resorted to consists in that in many cases the cutting mechanism of the assembling machine fails to deposit a disk of cementing medium into a cap, in.

tallic cap.

A still further defect of most of the processes heretofore'practised is that, when the assembled closures are subjected to heating action, the sealing disks, if they are of cork, lose to some degree their toughness by reason of the high temperature to which they are /sub 'ected, or they may be rendered entirely useless, if they are of the artificial cork or composite type, inasmuch as .the latter con-' tain a binding material which is in most cases afiected by heat; I

The main object of the invention is to provide a method or process for the manufacture of bottle closures, in which a firm union between the metalliecap and the sealing disk or packing is obtained by the aid of a liquid or viscous cementing medium, which is coagulated and rendered insoluble by subjecting the closure to heat maintained substantially below the boiling point of water, that is to say at a point which is for Letters Patent, the metallic cap of theclosure is charged with a cementing me dium, either liquid .or viscous, coagulable by heat, and possessing further chemical properties hereinafter fully described. A sealing disk or packing of cork or the like is then inserted into the cap on top of the cementing medium, the assembled closure subjected to pressure and exposed to heat, which will cause the cementing medium'to coagulate and to unite the metallic cap with the sealing disk or packing. Instead of charging the cap with the cementing medium, obviously that face of the sealing disk may be coated therewith which is to contact with the inner face of the cap.

For carrying out the process any suitable apparatus or machinery may be used, the

one shown in the drawing being disclosed,

for purposes of illustration only.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cross section taken through a cap, the means for charging the same with the cementing medium being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a similar section taken through an assembled cap and the heating means, the pressure applying means being shown in elevation; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section takenthrough an assembled closure made in accordance with a modified process.

The cap, denoted by the numeral 10, is charged with a measured quantity of cementing medium 11 from a container 12, a suitable valve mechanism 13 being provided for controlling the flow of the cementing medium into the cap. A sealing disk or packing 14, of cork or the like, is then inserted into the cap on top of the cementing medium, and the assembled closure placed upon a suitable support, for instance, a steam chamber 16, and subjected to pressure by a plunger 15, or other suitable means. The heat, to which the closure is exposed, :coagulates the cementing medium,

and unites the metallic cap with the sealing disk or packing.

The cementing medium is, preferably, either of a type which is coagulated and rendered insoluble by heat alone, or by heat and suitable chemical agents mixed therewith. Certain proteids or substances made up partly of proteids, such as albumen or blood, may be used for the purpose.

at hand, the same being coagulated and. rendered insoluble by heat. Albumen has been found to be particularly adapted for carrying out the present process, it being inodorous, tasteless, soluble in water before use, and coagulates at 140 Fahrenheit. The assembled closures can be subjected to pressure without changing the chemical properties of the albumen, and when they are after the pressure is applied and while it is maintained, subjected to heat, the albumen is easily coa ulated, rendered insoluble, and forms an e ective cementing medium for uniting the parts of the closure. Substances of the second type mentioned are for instance gelatin and glycerin, which, when mixed with an aqueous solution of formaldehyde and heated, coagulate and are rendered insoluble.

If necessary, a paper or other 'disk may be interposed between the metallic cap and the sealing disk. In such cases the cap is first charged with a suitable quantity of cementing medium, the paper disk placed on top of it, the exposed face of said paper disk coated with the cementing medium,

after which the sealing disk is depositedinto the cap, and the assembled closure subjected to the treatment above mentioned, or the paper or other disk may be coated, before insertion, with the cementing medium. A closure of this type is illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, wherein the numeral 20 indicates a metallic cap, 21 the sealing disk and 22 an interposed disk or layer of paper or other fibrous material, both faces of which are coated with a cementing medium, denoted by the numeral 23, of the character above described.

The pressure on the closures is, preferably, maintained only until the cementing medium has been properly coagulated. The coagulation results in a firm union between the parts of the closure, such union being instantaneous, particularly vwhen albumen is used. If found necessary, obviously, the pressure on the parts of the closure can be maintained for some time after coagulation.

The following advantages are obtained by. the foregoing process: The temperature at which the cementing medium is coagulated is considerably below the heat applied in all methods heretofore in use, and for this .reason'the process can be used in connection menting medium, nor is the latter able to drop into said contents in the form of beads, or otherwise. A better and more efi'ective union is formed for the reason that the cementing medium adheres to the metalliccaps irrespective of the fact whether the said caps are spotted with greasy or oily matter or not. The cementing media heretofore in use were defective in this respect, inasmuch as they did not adhere to greasy or oily metallic surfaces.

It is obvious that, while herein specified cementing materials have been described, others may just as well be made use of without departing from the invention, which lies mainly in the provision of a process for manufacturing bottle closures of the cap variety, including crown corks, wherein the metallic caps and sealing disks are united by the aid of a cementing medium which is coagulated and rendered insoluble by heat. It is intended to include in the appended claims in the term cementing medium such as are coagulated and rendered insoluble by heat either by reason of their chemical properties or by the aid of suitable chemical agents mixed therewith. It is furthermore intended to include in the term cementing medium the said medium alone or a disk of paper or other material coated therewith.

What I claim is 1. In a process for' the manufacture of bottle closures of the cap variety, which consists in, first, interposing between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap cooperating therewith a suitable cementing medium adapted to be coagulated by heat, second, placing the closure under appropriate pressure, and, third, subjecting the closure to heat for properly coagulating said cementing medium. 7 i

2. In a process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the cap variety, which consists in, first, interposing between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap cooperating therewith a suitable cementing medium adapted to be co agulated by heat, and, second, heating the closure for properly coagulating the said cementing medium and in the meantime placing the closure under appropriate pressure.

3. In a process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the cap variety, which consists in, first, interposing between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap cooperating therewith a suitable cementing medium adapted to be ccagulated by heat, and, second, heating the closure under pressure.

the metal cap cooperating therewith a suitable cementing medium adapted to be coagulated and rendered insoluble by heat, second, placing the closure under appropriate pressure, and, third, subjecting the closure to heat for properly coagulating and rendering insoluble said cementing medium.

5. In the art of making closures comprising a shell and a sealing disk, the process which consists in interposing between the shell and sealing disk a sticking material comprising an adhesive albuminous substance, and subjecting said material to heat to set the same, whereby the shell and sealing disk are united.

6. In the art of making closures comprising a, shell and a sealing disk, the process.

ing medium adapted to be coagulated by heat, second, placing the closure under appropriate pressure, and, third, subjecting the closure to heat for. properly coagulating said cementing medium.

8. A process for the manufacture of closures comprising a cap and a sealing disk, which consists in, first, interposing between the cap and the sealing disk a layer of fibrous material carrying a suitable cementing medium adapted to be coagulated by heat, and, second, heating the closure for properly coagulating the said cementing medium and in the meantime placing the closure under appropriate pressure.

9. A process for the manufacture of closures comprising a cap and a sealing disk, which consists in, first, interposing between the cap and the sealing disk a layer of fibrous material carrying a suitable cement-' which consists in, first, interposing between the cap and the sealing disk a layer of fibrous material carrying a suitable cementing medium adapted to be coagulated and rendered insoluble by heat, second, placing the closure under appropriate pressure, and, third, subjectlng the closure to heat for properly coagulatlng and rendering'insoluble said cementing medium.

11. A process for the manufacture of closures comprising a cap and a sealing disk, which consists in, first, interposing between for the manufacture of 010- I sures comprising a cap and a sealing disk,

ma nee the cap and the sealing disk a layer of New York, and State of New York, this fibrous material carrying a suitable cement- 20th day of June, A. D. 1913. ing medium adapted to be coagulated by heat, and, second, subjecting the cementing JOHN ALBERTI' medium to heat to coagulate the same Witnesses: whereby the cap and sealing disk are united. S. BIRNBAUM,

Slgned at New York, in the county of SIGMUND HERZOG. 

